RACE STARTS AT SUNRISE!
It is a surreal experience being in Downtown Honolulu at 5 am with 25,000 + other crazy people loitering around Bishop and Alakea Streets. Some people get their java rush at Starbucks or McDonald’s. Others find the softest concrete curb and try to get more sleep. Most of us are busy warming up, talking up and gearing up for the run.
Ahh, Nimitz Highway. Our course may not be the most scenic or picture-postcard-picturesque, but you still will surely enjoy a variety of sights and sounds that are sure to inspire! Take for example, the stunning fountains of water streaming from the Honolulu Fire Department’s Fire Boat, the Moku Ahi, in Honolulu Harbor; the heart-thumping beat of Taiko drums at Aid Station #2; our talented young musicians from local high schools rocking and rolling all day long; families and friends laughing, walking and talking together; hundreds of volunteers handing out water, snacks and t-shirts, working together to make this course safe; and finally, the inspirational songs of our Sounds of Freedom, the military units running in cadence. This is the Great Aloha Run.
HOW DO I GET TO THE START?
You can park at the Stadium and catch a bus Downtown, or you can catch a bus at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel Bus Depot. Go to http://www.greataloharun.com/index.php/race-info/race-day-information/bus-transportation for bus schedule.
NEW STAGING IN 2013!
All staging will now be on Nimitz Hwy/ Ala Moana Blvd. To better help you with staging, we have made corrals on Nimitz Hwy/ Ala Moana Blvd. and have posted signs on Nimitz Hwy/ Ala Moana Blvd with both estimated finishing times/ pace per minute in those corrals. Please seed yourself in the proper corral that fits your pace per minute. Please, faster runners in the front, and walkers in the back of each corral!
CORRALS:
- Under 1:14 (9 minute mile or less pace)
- 1:15 - 1:30 (9-11 minute mile pace)
- 1:31 - 1:55 (11-14 minute mile pace)
- 1:56 - 2:27 (14-18 minute mile pace)
- 2:28 - 3:00 (18-22 minute mile pace)
- 3:01 and Over (22 minute mile or more pace)
We have over 25,000 participants, and safety comes first! Being improperly staged (i.e., ahead of anticipated running time) creates a real personal hazard. If you do so, you will be continuously passed by faster runners and should you fall, you could be trampled on or otherwise seriously injured.
All strollers will be staged in the last corral to ensure safety of the baby in stroller and other runners.
ELITE RUNNERS & Wheelchairs/Hand cycles.
Staging: On Nimitz Hwy and Bethel Street.
*Elite runners must check in at GAR Expo and bring proof of finish time. Wheelchairs & Hand Cycles must check in at expo.
FAST RUNNERS: Under 1:14 (9 minute mile or less pace)
Staging area: On Nimitz Hwy between Bethel Street and Queen Street.
Faster runners in front, slower in back please.
SLOWER RUNNERS: 1:15 - 1:30 (9-11 minute mile pace) or 1:31 - 1:55 (11-14 minute mile pace)
Staging area: On Nimitz Hwy between Queen Street and Bishop Street.
Faster runners in front, slower in back please.
JOG/WALKERS: 1:56 - 2:27 (14-18 minute mile pace)
Staging area: On Nimitz Hwy and Bishop Street.
WALKERS: 2:28 - 3:00 (18-22 minute mile pace) or 3:01 and Over (22 minute mile or more pace).
STROLLERS:
Staging area: On Ala Moana and Alakea Street.
Free children’s activities at the stroller derby on Alakea Street.
*Strollers can be hazardous to others. Please show Aloha!
SPECIAL AREA FOR STROLLERS AND ASSISTED WHEELCHAIRS
Assisted wheelchairs, and moms and dads pushing strollers are assigned white numbers, however instead of staging Makai on Alakea, assisted wheelchairs and strollers MUST report to the Back-of-the-Pack area on Alakea Street between Merchant Street and King Street intersection. Here they can enjoy the GAR Stroller Derby. Parents and babies in strollers can partake in games, snacks and prizes starting at 5:00 am. Mahalo to Lima Kokua, Inc. for organizing the Stroller Derby.